Israeli president visits Gaza as army chief signals offensive at ‘pivotal point'
The Israeli prime minister and his defence minister have made multiple visits to Gaza throughout the course of the war but this is the first time Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, has gone inside the Gaza Strip to meet Israeli troops there.
What Herzog was telling soldiers there is that Israel is acting in accordance with international law and distributing aid in accordance with those same international norms.
However, we know that is, of course, false. The way Israel has been operating within the last 21 months within the Gaza Strip has been condemned by many rights organisations, by many countries, given how many civilians have been killed and now given the starvation that Israel has caused among the Palestinian people.
[The visit] comes as the Israeli army chief of staff has said they are now at a pivotal point with how they are going to proceed in this war, saying that Israel is operating on multiple fronts … but saying the primary focus is Gaza.
Brazil joining South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at ICJ
Brazil says it’s in the final stages of formally joining South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The decision “is based on the duty of States to comply with their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, given the plausibility that the rights of Palestinians to protection against acts of genocide are being irreversibly impaired”, the Brazilian foreign ministry said.
South Africa brought the case to the ICJ in late 2023, accusing the Israeli government of carrying out “genocidal acts” in Gaza and urging the UN’s top court to take action to prevent further such actions from taking place.
The ICJ has since issued several provisional orders seeking to get Israel to halt its offensive and to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But the Israeli government has continued the war on the enclave.
In its statement, the Brazilian foreign ministry said “the international community cannot remain inactive in the face of ongoing atrocities”.
“Brazil believes there is no longer room for moral ambiguity or political omission. Impunity undermines international legality and undermines the credibility of the multilateral system,” it said.
Gaza death toll rises again today
At least 77 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since dawn, including 25 people killed seeking aid, medical sources tell Al Jazeera.
